For the past five months or so–probably longer as the time really just blends together–Noah and Zoë have been sleeping in the same bed. Well, Noah has grown tired of his sister kicking him and Zoë has tired of the boy sheets. She wanted girl sheets. So, we have been talking to Zoë about getting her her own bed. We kept using the time indicator “after Hawaii” as though there was life before Hawaii and then after. So, it is now officially “after Hawaii” and Zoë was ready for her “girl” bed.
I went shopping yesterday sans kids to pick out a bed for Zoë. Currently they will still be sharing a room, even though we have more than enough space for them to have their own room. I also knew that I had promised Noah he could get bunk beds when he was 5. I started thinking–do I buy Zoë a bed and then when Noah wants bunk beds do I then get him those and then I have an extra bed w/no where to really put it when they decide they no longer want to share a room. I was trying to think practically. We are a house that is over furnitured (I know that isn’t a word). I/We tend to buy furniture impulsively and then run out of room. Our house is overcrowded as it is. I love furniture. I cannot wait to have a house that is bigger so that I can overfill it too with furniture I don’t need.
Well, I bit the bullet and bought bunk beds. Noah is certainly old enough for them and is climbing skills are great for his age. The rails are high enough to keep him from falling out. The whole time I was contemplating this, I just kept thinking about Noah and if he was ready for bunk beds. When I got home I could see the trepidation on Bill’s face about the possibility of Noah falling out, etc.
You are probably already thinking what I didn’t think until we had the bed put together.
Zoë says “Me sleep top”
Oh shit. I didn’t for a minute think that Zoë would want to sleep on top. That totally isn’t cool to a 2-year-old daredevil who tells everyone she is four and a big girl. How could I not have considered that my 2-year-old wouldn’t want to just climb on up. We had a “long” serious talk with her about climbing up on to Noah’s bed when Mommy and Daddy aren’t up stairs and telling her very sternly that she is under no circumstances to climb up in Noah’s bed when it is sleeping time. She pouted with her lower lip stuck out and said so very sadly “okay. Noah sleep in my bed sometimes?”
We assured her that Noah could climb into her bed sometimes if he wanted to but that she was a big girl and needed her own girl bed. She loves her girl bed–but she looks so small in it. Last night went well. Noah made it down his ladder safely in the middle of the night to climb into our bed and Zoë as still sound asleep in her own big girl bed at 7 this morning when I woke her up.
Any gamblers out there want to bet how long it takes her to climb up into Noah’s bed? I’m giving it a week. I still have a lot to learn.
Embracing Imperfection 